Nguyen Le Hang is one of the fortunate ones. Hanoi's Hom Market has been spared the wrecking ball - at least for now. Dinh Thuy Hang has not been so lucky. Hang struggles to survive in a temporary market, waiting for relocation in a new commercial center. The Ways of the Market follows these two women, caught in a conflict that is undermining their lives. As they struggle to make sense of their worlds, they come to realize the false promises made by developers. Once edged out, vendors return not to the warm and welcoming markets they left, but rather, the detention center gloom of underground spaces in new commercial centers. As this conversion takes place, fortunes are being made. But what is Hanoi losing?